Curated OER
Writing Descriptive Paragraphs
Show a Powerpoint presentation about descriptive writing. Fourth graders brainstorm a list of writing topics and place them in graphic organizers. Then they write their own paragraphs describing topics of their choice and create...
Curated OER
Jazzing Up Journal Writing
Journal writing lessons can become a whole new experience when students start to learn about the variety of options available.
Curated OER
Oh, What a Tangled Web!
Students research how different World Wide Web search engines work and navigate these engines to find information on a specific topic. They write a reflective journal entry about the in-class topic search on the World Wide Web.
Curated OER
Lesson Ideas for Halloween Writing
Halloween writing activities provide a way to make descriptive language a part of a student's literary repertoire.
Curated OER
Wagons West
Students assume the personality of a pioneer on a wagon train and create daily journals. In this journal writing lesson, students read excerpts from The Way West: Journal of a Pioneer Woman. Students use their imaginations to write...
Curated OER
Vietnam War: Kennedy Assassination
Students determine how the Kennedy assassination impacted the United States and, more specifically, the Vietnam War. In this 20th century American history lesson, students read books and view video clips of the event and then write...
Curated OER
Fostering Creative Writing
There are many interesting ways to help students develop their creative writing skills through writing prompts and games.
Curated OER
How To Connect Writing To Students' Interests
Connecting writing to students' personal lives can help lead the way to effective instruction.
Curated OER
Using Writing to Make a Difference
Students change the lesson plan in order to make meaningful writing.
Curated OER
Writing Organization Lessons
By using writing organization worksheets and activities students can learn to put their thoughts on paper in an orderly manner.
Curated OER
101 Math Journal Topics
In this math worksheet, students examine the topics available to complete a daily math journal. They repeat the procedure for future lessons.
Curated OER
Narrative Lesson Plan Ideas
Narrative writing lessons can inspire students to write about and share their experiences.
Curated OER
Oral History: Park City Museum
Bring U.S. history to your language arts class with this lesson. Middle schoolers complete an interview for an oral history project, and discuss the importance of oral histories - and how they embellish written accounts. They write...
Berkshire Museum
Adopt a Schoolyard Tree
Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it in...
Curated OER
The BEAM Project: Building Efficient Architectural Models
Technology or engineering teams are given a task to design, construct, and test the efficiency of a structure that will foster an even temperature throughout an entire sunny day. Intended as a long-term project, pupils research, plan,...
Curated OER
Practical Writing in the Intermediate Grades
Learners discuss lists of interesting topics on which to write. They explore those things that interest them, excite them and express themselves freely. They organize the value of their own thoughts and use their individual lists that...
Curated OER
There's No Accountin with Ledgers
Tenth graders create and maintain a ledger, write an essay for the process, and learn to keep financial accounts through the ledger. For this ledger lesson, 10th graders define an accounting ledger and create one for the money they've...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Happy Marriages
In this happy marriages instructional activity, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Slimming
In this slimming learning exercise, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion questions, write,...
My Access
“Banning Books” Lesson Plan
To Kill a Mockingbird, Hunger Games, Brave New World. Welcome to Banned Books Week. As part of a study of censorship and book banning, class members investigate censorship, the purposes of censorship, and First Amendment rights,...
University of North Carolina
Evaluating Print Sources
Not all sources are created equal, so how do you evaluate them? Writers learn how to evaluate print sources based on elements such as audience, tone, and argument in the sixth handout of 24 in the Writing the Paper series from the...
Curated OER
Using Aphorisms to Help Dealing with People
Here's a formal plan for what many effective teachers already do: Provide a week's worth of aphorisms and have learners choose one to write about in their journals each day. They reflect on the meaning of each aphorism and project how it...
Curated OER
The Week That Was
Students complete a weekly writing assignment that documents their writing progress throughout the year. Each week, students write a paragraph in response to a prompt or a synopsis of the week's events.
Curated OER
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Journals
Like the characters in Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, class members write frequently with a series of journal topics that form the basis of the final writing assignment about their personal “heavy boots.” Alas, no list of topics is...